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ARTS
MARCH 10, 2010
English Department Conference on Modernism KEVIN FORREST
Contributing Writer ’12 In its simplest description, the term modernism refers to the application of modern thought to cultural tendencies and movements. On Thursday March 4th, the English Department celebrated this post-enlightenment movement with a day of reflection on the various aspects of how modernist thought had been expressed. The conference was led by professors and students alike, each sharing his or her personal research with the audience. The conference began at 10 A.M. with a look into how the development of modernism influenced American and British literature, with talks by Dr. Loren Schmidtberger and Dr. Paul Almonte. This was complemented by a description of the impact World War I had on the modernist movement by Dr. David Gerlach. The next segment of the conference was titled “Philosophic and Artistic Modernisms.” It began with Dr. Lisa O’Neill’s talk on philosophical logic from a modernist perspective. This entailed the description of the development of formal logic, epistemology, and a greater understanding of metaphysics. Although she only had a fifteen-minute window to talk, she offered many great points that the listeners later investigated. Dr. O’Neill’s talk was followed by Fr. Mark DeStephano’s presentation on the little known contribution of Hispanic Americans to the modernist movement. He spoke of the short stories that went on to inspire authors like Hemingway, Joyce, and Kafka. He carefully explained how the Spanish Modernist aesthetic spread rapidly though Europe and the Americas. This segment of the conference was closed with a spectacular presentation about Art Deco by Dr. Thomas Folk. He used images of architecture primarily from New York City to show the development of this artistic form during the early twentieth century. After a lunch break, the conference resumed with spectacular presentations by several students. The first student to present was Jonathan Brantley with an
emotionally driven discussion titled “Hope Between the Lines of Color: The Tragic Mulatto in Modernist fiction.” He expressed many valid points on the role of race during this time period. Next was Stephanie Danis with an in depth look into the work of Ernest Hemingway and his own development of a modernist perspective. This presentation managed to bring much of the conference together by magnifying the life of one of the most influential authors of the modernist period. Stephanie was followed by Victoria Ebbinghousen with a presentation on the character Laura Sheridan from the Katherine Mansfield short story “The Garden Party.” The discussion focused on the ability of someone to live in ignorance to the world around her and the distinctions in class that existed during this time. The next student to present was Kimberly Ferraro who drew from Victoria’s discussion an in depth view of Katherine Mansfield and on the confusion that exists when looking at her work. The direction of her discussion was to thoroughly reveal Mansfield’s views as either being those of a feminist or a realist. She touched upon the limitations of female characters in literature and the expression of female emotions from a feminine point of view. Explaining Mansfield’s ability to omit feminine tone from her work and replace it with a realistic tone drove Kimberly’s point home. The final student presentation was by Mindy Wang who described the role of colonialism in James Joyce’s work “A Painful Case.” She made many strong points and explained the patterns of postcolonial attitudes in recently liberated nations. The final segment of the conference was on modernism’s spoken and musical manifestations. It was run under the direction of Professor Katherine White, with the accompaniment of students Francis Donovan, Paula Francisco, Tatiana Gallego, Kareem Gorrick, Jaasiel Santana, and Jursy Wallace. They performed works from Oscar Wilde, Eugene Ionesco, and William Saroyan. Although some of these works are quite difficult to perform,
the students did a wonderful job of bringing modernism to life through their interpretations. Modernist music was looked at by Dr. Wifall and then a performance of “Ballade en Mode Phrygien” was given by Enzo Fonzo. The conference on modernism was a wonderfully educational experience for all of those in attendance and it brought
to life one of the most interesting periods of recent history. The ability to look into the lives of the prominent figures in modernism opens the mind to greater ways of thinking. As a personal suggestion, I would recommend that if you have the opportunity to study this period, go ahead and do it.